Shortly after the story broke, Fisker Automotive released an official statement stating that it had “not ruled out possible fraud or malicious intent,” adding that the company would “not be commenting further” until all the facts in the case had been established.

“We are conducting an ongoing field inquiry for an EV incident in Texas,” he confirmed at a Transportation Department electric-vehicle safety forum. “We are still engaged in that activity, and no determination has been made at this time.”

After the forum, an NHTSA spokeswoman confirmed the incident Harris referred to did indeed involve the $106,000 plug-in hybrid.